Candy package



C. J. KUNKLER CANDY PACKAGE Jan. 16, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 6, 1948 ciifmzzw 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 c. J. KUNKLER CANDY PACKAGE Jan. 16, 1951 Filed May 6, 1948 MN MW IQ Patented Jan. 16, 1951 NfITED STATES FATENT OF F ICE CANDY PACKAGE Carl .J. .Kunkler, Columbus, Ohio, assignor to :Richard L. Greene, Columbus, Ohio My invention relates to a safety or protective and display package for fragile elongated articles subject to ready breakage in handling or shipment, such as candy canes or sticks and provides means whereby such articles wrapped in cellophane orothers-heet material will be so supported and held that shocks of handling, in packing or stacking for storage or shipment and in tossing same about, will be absorbed to effectively pre vent breakage of such articles.

The invention further comprehends a cushionfing means for a receptacle or tray to resiliently Support elongated fragile articles such as candy canes or sticks or the like so as to cushion the same in nested relation in the receptacle or tray movably supported in spaced relation to the bottomof the tray or ones placed or stacked thereon, to :prevent breakage, and in which the individual wrappers of sheet material, such ascellophane, for the articles, serve to sustain the articles in spaced relation to each other and the bottom of the tray on one or more convex resilient support-- ing members held in the receptacle or tray and each consisting of bendable strip of cardboard or the like longer than the width-of the tray so that when a stripis placed within the tray with its ends against the oppositeside corners of the tray, the strip will assume a convex .or upwardly humped form forming seats at each side of the humped up portions with the sides of the tray to accommodate the articles therein below the top edge of the tray for resilient cushioned support instead of being rigidly supported and held, .so that .the flexible wrapper, especially webs formed thereby between the heads or hooks of canes and the staffs of the canes, will rest on the humped up portion of the strip and cushion and absorb shocks :due to impact or loads thereon and prevent breakage.

A further object is to provide a safety or protective display. package for fragile articles such as hard stick candy canes, in which the sides of the receptacle or tray are each cut or severed at two points or places, preferably perpendicular to the bottom, and the central portions or lengths of the sides between the cuts folded, turned or bent inwardly and downwardly toward the center of the box .or tray over or against-the tops .of the oppositely inclined end portions of the upwardly .convexed or humped up transverse cushioning candy support member or strips so as to be resiliently supported thereby, and the intermediate portions of the sticks or canes rest on the bent in side portions which being long and flat, give support to the sticks or canes for greater portions i5, being candy canes or sticks and shown as of the lengths thereof than if sup-ported directly on the strip or strips, thereby better serving to automatically and evenly distribute the strain to resist shocks and breakage.

With the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination and details of construction disclosed in the drawing and specification, and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a safety or protective package embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a cross section taken on the line 22 of Figure '1,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the receptacle or tray on a reduced scale, with the articles omitted,

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a modified package and tray or box,

Figure 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

In packaging or wrapping elongated fragile articles such as candy canes or sticks, they break easily in handling or dropping the same on a bench or table, and in packaging or stacking the same in piles for storage or shipment, even though individually wrapped, since the articles themselves rest on a supporting surface or the flat bottom of a box in which the same are packaged. The present invention provides a novel, simple and economical package or means which can be readily assembled without special training or technique to eliminate breakage and loss therefrom.

In accordance with the present invention and referring to the drawing, ll] designates a shallow elongated rectangular receptacle or tray of paper cardboard or the like, open or closed at the top, that isywith or without a lid and having a bottom I I having a surrounding shallow upstanding rim 12 with long sides l3 and short ends I l secured together at the corner edges in any suitable manner or pressed or molded out of wood or paper pulp or the like.

The elongated fragile articles are indicated at the latter having heads or books It at one end of each cane or staff thereof and tapered or pointed at the other ends thereof as indicated at H. The canes I'5 may be wrapped in flexible sheets It, such as cellophane folded over at the ends and fastened b sticking or with adhesive or a piece of Scotch tape or the like over or around the folded ends to seal the package while leaving the article, product or candy readily 'vis ib'le through the wrapper: In connection-with 3 such wrappers a folded web portion is is formed between the wrapping over the head or hook l and the end !'I, extending diagonally therebetween as clearl shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. However, even with such wrappers, the articles or candy would rest fiat and directly on a horizontal supporting surface such as a table or bench, or on the flat bottom it of the receptacle or tray it and in handling, if dropped or thrown about, in packing or stacking for storage or shipment, such as in cartons, the inpact or shocks therefrom or from the weight of other articles or packages thereon, easily break or crack and therefore, their sale value is impaired to cause considerable monetary loss.

To avoid such breakage and resulting loss, one or more cardboard or other transverse cushioning and supporting members or bendable strips 2c, depending on the width thereof, and longer that the width or short dimension of the receptacle or tray 52 between the sides is are inserted in the tray so that the ends iii of thestrip or strips 26 engage or contact the inner faces or corners of the sides at the juncture thereof with the bottom 2 l and the strip is bul ed, humped or convexed upwardly between the ends or substan tially its central or intermediate area or portion as seen in Figure 2. In this position, the site end portions of the strip extend or slope downwardly toward the ends 2i either in convex or rectilinear form. This produces spaced oppositely sloping portions or outw rdly enlarged recesses or seats with the sides it of receptacle or tray iii in which the articles such as candy canes or sticks i5 are received in reverse positions and rest with the heads or oeks extending inwardly at opposite ends of the tray seen in Figure 1. Thus, the articles and especially the stafi or body portions thereof, will rest on the inclined raised poi ions of the supporting and cushioning strip or strips 29 near their ends, out of contact with and spaced from the surface of the fiat bottom ii, and with the webs is of the flexible transparent cellophane or \"vrappings i3 resting on and bent or flexed relation to the bulged or convexly raised puckered portions of the strips 2a to effectively cushion the articles and absorb shocks or impacts due to rough handling, dropping or the weight of droppin or sustaining other packages thereon in storing or shipping, or in transit, thereby eliminating or reducing breakage and monetary loss therefrom.

To retain the articles thus wrapped and packaged, nested or seated in the tray and resting on the cushioning supporting strips 2% as de scribed, suitable binding means may be provided around the same, such as elastic or rubber bands 22 or other tie or encircling means around the tray and contents to retain the latter against displacement.

In the form or embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 4 and 5, the receptacle or container in the form of a shallow open top tray or box H3 is the same as previously described in connection with Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, except that the long sides i3 of the shallow upstanding-rim l2 are each cut or severed at two points or places as at 23, preferably perpendicular to the bottom ll, equidistantly spaced from the ends 14 a substantial distance and spaced apart a greater distance than the lengths or distances between the cuts and the ends Hi, that is, a considerable distance or length from each other iniiifii ieieiihesmis ith a pris n-1'0. to

into conforming file of this patent:

produce longitudinal strips 24 extending inwardly along the sides of the box or tray. These intermediate portions or sections 24 of the lengths of the sides l3 thus cut or severed and produced between the cuts 23, are folded, turned or bent inwardly and downwardly in oppositely outwardly inclined positions toward the center of the box or tray over or against the tops of the oppositely inclined end portions of the upwardly convexed or humped up transverse cushioning and supporting members or bendable strip or strips 20, in spaced relation to the bottom II, so as to be resiliently supported thereby. The intermediate or central portions 24 of considerable length receive the intermediate portions of the fragile articles such as the candy sticks or canes, thereon and when so rested on the bent side portions or sections 24 and being relatively long and flat so as to' give support to the candy sticks or canes at their intermediate or rectilinear portions, for greater portions of the lengths thereof than if directly supported on the strip or strips 20. Thus, the bent side portions 24 serve to automatically and evenly distribute the strain to resist shocks and breakage of the fragile articles such as candy sticks or canes as described, thus better serv= ing to cushion the impact of dropping a package to prevent the candy from breaking and losing their sale value, or in packing the same one upon the other in stacks or piles for storage or ship ment.

I do not mean to confine myself to the exact details of construction herein disclosed but claim all variations falling within the purview of th appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A protective package comprising a receptacle having spaced end and side wall portions with a plurality of fragile candy canes positioned therein having handle portions disposed adjacent straight mid-section portions, said canes being disposed a horizontal plane with the handle portions thereof positioned at opposite ends'of said receptacle with the mid-sections of each cane lying adjacent opposite sidewalls, a wrapper on each cane including a web portion extending from said handle to the other end, a flexible transverse cushioning and supporting member disposed in the receptacle having an upwardly humped portion spaced intermediate of said end walls and extending between the sidewalls to engage with the wrapped mid-section of each of a REFERENCES CITED The folowing references are of record in the U'NITED sTATEsPATENTs Number Name :Date 695,660 Swan Mar. 18, 1902 1,370,525 Eisenkraft Mar. '8, 1921 1,451,383 Wilson Apr. 10, 1923 1,755,234 Westerfield Apr. 22,1930 2,082,671 Walker June 1, 1937 2,'19 3,237-- Mueller et al. Mar. 12, 1940 2,428,38d" Randall Oct: '7, 1947 2,,4,'Z6, ;2 J ,sp as .etal. ..-.i .-;July 19, .1949 

1. A PROTECTIVE PACKAGE COMPRISING A RECEPTACLE HAVING SPACED END AND SIDE WALL PORTIONS WITH A PLURALITY OF FRAGILE CANDY CANES POSITIONED THEREIN HAVING HANDLE PORTIONS DISPOSED ADJACENT STRAIGHT MID-SECTION PORTIONS, SAID CANES BEING DISPOSED IN A HORIZONTAL PLANE WITH THE HANDLE PORTIONS THEREOF POSITIONED AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID RECEPTACLE WITH THE MID-SECTIONS OF EACH CANE LYING ADJACENT OPPOSITE SIDE WALLS, A WRAPPER ON EACH CANE INCLUDING A WEB PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID HANDLE TO OTHER END, A FLEXIBLE TRANSVERSE CUSHIONING AND SUPPORTING MEMBER DISPOSED IN THE RECEPTACLE HAVING AN UPWARDLY HUMPED PORTION SPACED INTERMEDIATE OF SAID END WALLS AND EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SIDEWALLS TO ENGAGE WITH THE WRAPPED MID-SECTION OF EACH OF SAID CANES SPACED INWARDLY OF THE HANDLES. 